Canberra hosts its own Parkrun — a free weekly 5k — at Lake Tuggeranong in the south of the city. The entire lake has a loop around it that makes a nice longer run (about 7km), but an out and back on the bike path in southern section of the lake is the designated 5000 meter course. The terrain is a mix of tarmac and gravel, so expect some mud puddles after rain, but otherwise it’s fairly flat, easy going with nice views of the water. A good starting point (and the official race start) is at Tuggeranong Town Park. From there, you can follow the bike path south-east along the foreshore, under the Soward Way bridge, and across the footbridge. The race course continues northwest along the shore before turning around at the bridge, but if you’re feeling up to it, you can continue north around the lake and return to the Town Park via the loop path.
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Essentials
- 7 km (4.3 miles) loop
- 20 meters (65 feet)
- Tuggeranong Park
- Busses run to Pittman Road in nearby Tuggeranong
Current Weather & Forecast
Canberra, AU
2:19 pm,
Jun 19, 2026
overcast clouds
11°C
L: 10°
H: 12°
Daily ForecastHourly Forecast
Tomorrow
7:00 am
10° / 12°°C
0.06 mm
6%
15 mph
84 %
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Sunday
7:00 am
15° / 22°°C
0.29 mm
29%
18 mph
70 %
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Monday
7:00 am
11° / 26°°C
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100%
10 mph
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Tuesday
7:00 am
13° / 18°°C
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Wednesday
7:00 am
12° / 26°°C
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Today
4:00 pm
18° / 19°°C
0.06 mm
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14 mph
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Today
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Tomorrow
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22° / 22°°C
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Other Routes in Canberra, Australia
A 16k 'runseeing' tour features the highlights of this compact, planned city: National University, Botanical Gardens, National Museum, Library, National Rose Garden, Magna Carta Place, Parliament House, High Court Anzac Park, War Memorial.
Without a doubt, the highlight of all running in Canberra is this route around Lake Burley Griffin, which hugs the coast through Commonwealth Park and traverses over the water via two bridges.
If too much pavement pounding is jostling your joints, take your run to the Stromlo Forest Park in western Canberra, where the maintenance team has turfed a specialized 2.5k running loop with cushy Santa Ana Couch grass.
Mount Ainslie is an 843 meter hill which serves as the focal point for the Canberra Nature Park in the northeastern corner of the city. While it’s possible to run the drive up to the lookout for a hill training run, a popular 12k route is the loop around the base of the hill.
For an introduction to the Australian bush without the risk, the National Arboretum Canberra is a great spot to learn about flora on foot. It’s not a spot for a lengthy run, but there are two decent 2k circuits that make for a nice quick tour of the trees.
The Runners Club at the Canberra YMCA is particularly fond of the park’s Canberra Centenary Trail, which can form the base of either a 5k or 12k route.
Canberra is not only a running-friendly city, it caters to bike enthusiasts as well. Luckily, cyclists don’t mind sharing the miles upon miles of paved paths in Canberra’s southern suburbs.
For a panoramic view of the city of Canberra, it doesn’t get any better than Mount Taylor, an easy climb conveniently located just outside the suburbs of Torrens (Woden) and Kambah (Tuggeranong).
There are plenty of running trails between the Black Mountain Reserve and neighboring Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve, but the nicest way up is via the Australian National Botanic Gardens (sometimes known as the “Flower to Tower” route).
Looking for some fun and friendly competition? Canberra hosts a selection of Parkruns throughout the city.
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